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The UK Gospel According to... Karl Nova.

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release was almost perfect.

  At that time Siani also released their debut album Love Is (photo left)
  and the title track even gained daytime airplay on Choice FM outside of
  the normal gospel slot of Sunday mornings.

  I remember around this time there was a track from a group called
  Seven called There It is that got LOADS of daytime radio airplay.
  It was such a classic song and you can clearly know it is made by
  Christians.

In some ways Raymond & Co kicked down the door, winning a MOBO and bringing the UK gospel scene to wider audience by touring with Will Young (photo: at Will Young London gig, December 2004).

Groups like Four Kornerz came through as well as GK Real, Ekklesia, Re:Newed, The Company and others dropped classic albums and the scene was bubbling with events and these groups and other artists spreading their wings and singing in other countries.

It used to be mainly LCGC that performed overseas but all that changed at this time.
 
'Urban Side of Gospel...'
At this time the more 'Urban' side of gospel music, namely the Hip-hop, Garage and Grime side of things had been very underground and not fully accepted or recognized in the gospel community.

Artists like Gifted, Set Free, Blessed Man, Royal Priesthood,
GreenJade (photo), M.O.D (who had appeared on album of
the legendary Cross Movement from Philadelphia) Wariyah,
Dwayne Tryumf and Prodigal Son had been making music
and a lot of moves.

These rappers made way for people like AFG Nexus, G Force,
New Direction who came after them. Also artists that had
more of a Ragga flavour like Watchman, Witness, Gamma 
and Shamma had been bubbling under bringing it in their
own special way.

  I also discovered artists like L Dubzy (photo, left), Commission, Sammy G and
  Triple O who had been making music using the Garage/Grime style of music
  which was beginning to crossover from underground raves into the mainstream
  in the secular realm at the time because of Dizzee Rascal.
 
  In my own estimate it is when Jahaziel dropped his debut album Ready to
  Live that this whole urban underground world of UK Gospel was blown open to
  others in the gospel community and even beyond.

Jahaziel
Jahaziel (photo, right) is such an important catalyst to this
movement because back in the day he appeared on
loads of remixes of artists like Lemar, Daniel
Bedingdfield and others so he was already known in the
secular realm.

He then became a part of Zion Noiz which was the
biggest collective of Christian rappers EVER.

It was like all the early rappers were part of that crew
namely, Royal Priesthood, GreenJade, Bold, Dwayne
Tryumf, Shabazz (who now heads Uprise TV) Chenoa, Strategik L... I mean that was a loaded crew! I wanted to be part of that! LOL!

  Zion Noiz (photo left) had a video that got play on Channel U
  (now Channel AKA). I’m not sure if this was the first video by
  gospel artists on Channel U but I think it was.

  The name of the song was & What (The Anthem) . I think the
  first Christian group I saw on MTV Base was GreenJade with
  the song Gunz down

  I was shocked to see them on MTV Base and really
  encouraged because I then saw if you address current
  issues and are creative with it, then it IS possible to heard in
  mainstream formats.
 
  Not only was Jahaziel’s album a classic, it was totally based
  on his faith in Christ, well packaged and it came at a time
  when attention began to shift from mainly singers to those
  who did other types of music in gospel like rap, garage. It
  was only right that he eventually won a MOBO in 2008.

He was anchored in the history of the early UK Christian rappers but also connected to the new upcoming artists like S.O, New Direction, E Tizz....

  Next time on 'The UK Gospel According to... Karl Nova
   The new wave of the Urban underground UK Gospel movement: 'Bibles, Bibles', Guvna B,
  Victizzle, Stealth, Tunday, Presha J, A Star, Faith Child and more...

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PUBLICATION DATE: 16 May 2010